AssumingI was to purchase a straightforward homein Suffolk mortgage fee and dispense with a survey and no conveyancing searches how much should I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Suffolk?

Any savings you would gain will be limited to the costs for searches. Your solicitor is required to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, liaising with your sellers conveyancer, stamp duty return, register the title etc. A marginal saving might be made by not needing to register a mortgage but it won't be a lot.

I am buying a terraced house in Suffolk. How practical is it for me to do the conveyancing?

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Suffolk you will have to appoint a solicitor on your lender's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Suffolk.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Suffolk. I have a mortgage offer with TSB. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with TSB, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the TSB conveyancing panel.

Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Suffolk. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Suffolk solicitor - who is on the Santander conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Santander will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Santander will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Suffolk surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Suffolk?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Suffolk. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Suffolk before retaining solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. The surveyor has said that some banks tend refuse to issue a mortgage on this type of premises.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different instructions from Halifax. If you e-mail us we can look into this further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Suffolk. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.